Page 26 of Under an Oklahoma Sky

He nudged her toward the hallway before returning to the kitchen. From the window over the sink, he could see a good portion of the property and anyone approaching from that direction. Benji would alert them as usual if a vehicle came up the long driveway in front of the house.

Adam glanced at the kitchen clock. Maddie and Evan would return soon, and he had to warn them. Finding Maddie’s number in the phone he still had on him, he pressed send and waited for her to pick up.

“Hello?” She never answered the phone while she was driving, so she was in the passenger seat, or they were still at Evan’s appointment.

“It’s Adam. Are you still at the doctor’s?”

“We’re on our way home. Do you need something from town?”

“No,” he answered as Sage rushed back into the kitchen with her loaded pistol in hand, aiming it at the floor. She must have told the children to stay in their rooms for now. “I need to talk to Evan. Tell him to pull over and give him the phone.”

“All—all right.” The woman had clearly figured out that something was wrong.

Seconds later, the older man came on the line. “What’s wrong, son?”

Over the past few weeks of working together and having long talks about a multitude of subjects, Evan had taken to calling him “son” occasionally, and it reminded Adam of his foster father. The two men probably would have become good friends if Harry were still alive.

“Don’t come home yet. Someone was shooting at me from the woods above the northwest pasture.”

“What! Are you⁠—”

“I’m fine,” he assured him. “I’m back at the house with Sage and the kids, waiting for the damn sheriff to send his men over here. I just don’t want you pulling in until the deputies arrive.”

“Son of a—” This time, Evan cut himself off mid-sentence. “Well, those idiots are on their way now. They just passed us by Davidson’s farm stand.” That was about three miles from the turnoff for Heaven’s Pastures. “No lights or sirens, though. They look like they’re out for a Sunday drive. You got my rifle?”

“Yes, sir. And our pistol-packin’ mama is locked and loaded too.” Despite the severity of the situation, Adam gave Sage a smile and a wink.

“Good. We’ll be home in a few minutes, son. Hang tight.”

After ending the call, he checked the window again as Sage went to the front of the house to wait for the sheriff’s deputies to pull in. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before two patrol cars came up the drive. He joined her in the foyer and opened the door. Cosgrove climbed out of one and a deputy from the other, then dashed to the front porch through the pouring rain. The sheriff’s scowl clearly showed his annoyance and belief that this was a complete waste of time.

The two men removed their wide-brimmed hats and stepped inside.

“Now, what’s this all about, Westfield?” the sheriff growled with annoyance while eyeing the rifle Adam still had cradled in his arms.

He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from decking the arrogant man and handed the weapon to Sage, who still held her pistol. The last thing he wanted was for either lawman to be nervous about an ex-con holding a loaded rifle, no matter the situation.

Crossing his arms, he glared at Cosgrove. “Whether or not you believe, Sheriff, someone shot at me in the northwest pasture just before the rain started. I was packing up the truck, and two shots missed my boots by inches. A third shot took out the driver’s window of Evan’s truck. It's possible the slug is still in the cab—I was too busy getting the hell out of there to check.”

Cosgrove gave a dismissive grunt. “Did you see anyone? If the slug isn’t in the vehicle, I doubt there’ll be any other evidence to find. Kind of convenient that it happened right before the downpour, which probably washed away whatever was there.”

Adam clenched his fists. Now he desperately wanted to punch the smirk off the man’s face.

But that would land him in jail.

The sound of boots pounding across the porch caught everyone’s attention, and the door swung open. Maddie’s face was filled with concern as she visually inspected Adam and then Sage. Evan was right behind her with a similar expression. “You all right, son?”

Nodding, he stepped farther into the living room, since there wasn’t enough space for all of them in the foyer. “Yeah, but your truck needs a new driver’s window.”

“That’s what insurance is for.” Evan glared at the two uniformed men. “Sheriff, what are you going to do about this?”

“About what? It was probably some hunter, and Westfield is blowing it out of proportion.”

Standing beside Adam, Sage sputtered as her face flushed red. “W-what? You can’t be serious, Sheriff! First, someone torches my barn, and now someone is shooting at Adam, and you think he’s blowing it out of proportion? You’re crazy!”

“Sage, shh, the kids.” He placed a hand on her back and rubbed it from side to side. She stiffened for a split second before some of the tension left her body, and she leaned into his touch.

After hanging up her raincoat, Maddie bustled past the others toward the hallway. “I’ll take care of the children while the sheriff and the deputy do their jobs and take a detailed report, followed by a full investigation. Being this is an election year and all.”